Top seeded Mocs upset in first round
Jeff Jensen
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: Sports
The dream season for the Florida Southern College men's basketball team came to a crushing end Saturday night as the top seeded Moccasins were upset by the eighth seeded Ouachita Baptist Tigers. The Mocs started slow from the beginning, falling into a 9-0 hole in the first 5 minutes of the game. FSC recovered to lead 30-29 at the half, but it was not easy. The halftime lead would have been greater, if not for the Tigers' Memo Rodriguez, who completed an incredible four-point play to cut the deficit to a single point.
Rodriguez led all scorers with 19 points and also recorded a double double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Despite his 6 foot 5 frame, the senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina stroked the three-point shot consistently against the Mocs defense. Daniel Maddox contributed 15 points in the winning effort as the Tigers played like they were the No. 1 seed. The defensive intensity of the Tigers was high all game as FSC struggled to inbound the ball, rebound consistently, and find the basket with their shot attempts. The Mocs were in foul trouble all game, due to inconsistent foul calls throughout, which let the Tigers claw their way back into the game.
"The ball just didn't bounce our way," said senior center Will Graham. "We had a poor rebounding and shooting night. We did the things that we normally do to win, but the shots just were not falling. The other team just outhustled us; they did the things they needed to do to win the game."
FSC's normally reliable outside shot was non-existent in the second half. Junior guard Braxton Williams shot 3 of 7 from beyond the arc in the first half and was held to one shot in the second half, scoring 15 points in all. Freshman guard Rion Rayfield scored 22 points for the game, 21 of them coming from behind the three-point line while playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. Missed free throws were the key to this upset loss as the Mocs were misfiring from the charity stripe in the second half.
"We played our game, but it just wasn't our night," Junior forward Zach Smith said.
Junior guard Rob Eldridge, who normally is the team's scoring leader, was limited to four points throughout the game. With this loss, the Mocs finished their season at 24-9.
Rodriguez led all scorers with 19 points and also recorded a double double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Despite his 6 foot 5 frame, the senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina stroked the three-point shot consistently against the Mocs defense. Daniel Maddox contributed 15 points in the winning effort as the Tigers played like they were the No. 1 seed. The defensive intensity of the Tigers was high all game as FSC struggled to inbound the ball, rebound consistently, and find the basket with their shot attempts. The Mocs were in foul trouble all game, due to inconsistent foul calls throughout, which let the Tigers claw their way back into the game.
"The ball just didn't bounce our way," said senior center Will Graham. "We had a poor rebounding and shooting night. We did the things that we normally do to win, but the shots just were not falling. The other team just outhustled us; they did the things they needed to do to win the game."
FSC's normally reliable outside shot was non-existent in the second half. Junior guard Braxton Williams shot 3 of 7 from beyond the arc in the first half and was held to one shot in the second half, scoring 15 points in all. Freshman guard Rion Rayfield scored 22 points for the game, 21 of them coming from behind the three-point line while playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. Missed free throws were the key to this upset loss as the Mocs were misfiring from the charity stripe in the second half.
"We played our game, but it just wasn't our night," Junior forward Zach Smith said.
Junior guard Rob Eldridge, who normally is the team's scoring leader, was limited to four points throughout the game. With this loss, the Mocs finished their season at 24-9.
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